Will Cloud Computing Kill Distribution?

Distributors storm into the cloud arena with new business models, tools and resources. But will solution providers follow?

Pages

Just ask Joey Parker, client service manager for Pharr Technologies, a $2 million VAR in Shelby, N.C. Pharr has been offering backup and recovery services for about three years and is looking to migrate more small-business customers to a cloud-based environment in his small geographic area west of Charlotte.

“We’re looking to host our own data center, host our own clients. [Distribution] helped us put a lot of pieces together. A lot of the design and direction, we’ve gotten from [Synnex]. We view them as a quality partner, more so than just a distributor,” Parker said.

Pharr Technologies started selling Synnex’s CloudSolv unified communications offering in April and has closed two deals working with Synnex engineers to deploy the solutions, Parker said.

Ultimately, distributors’ cloud success will come when they recognize they don’t have all the answers and are willing to adapt just as much as solution providers are, said CloudStrategies’ Zarras.

“Synnex is this behemoth organization that is anything but a startup company, yet they operate that way,” Zarras said. “I told them I don’t need you to have a silver bullet. I don’t believe that even exists in the world of the cloud. But I need you to be willing to say, ‘That makes sense; let’s try that. We know the world’s changing and we want to help shape the way it changes.’ ”

XChange Solution Provider 2015 is finally upon us and the timing couldn't be better. The premier channel event is happening March 1-3 in Dallas, bringing together 225 solution provider decision makers from across North America. CRN is at the event to provide news, analysis and a firsthand take from partners.